Beer barrel tapper



y 17962 P. D. JAMIESON ET AL 3,035,603

BEER BARREL TAPPER Filed Nov. 25, 1958 v ew INVENTORS. PHILIP ID. JAMlim WALTER H. DESPEES BY 7 9 a 2 d ATTOZ/VEK United States Patent 3,035,603 BEER BARREL TAPPER Philip D. Jamieson, 39 Hudson Ave., and Walter H. Despres, 20 High St., both of Southbridge, Mass. Filed Nov. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 776,350 3 Claims. (Cl. 137-323) This invention relates to a new and improved beer barrel tapper, that is, a device for tapping beer kegs or barrels and has particular reference to a device of the type set forth wherein a compressed gas is introduced into the barrel or the like for removing the liquid contents, such as beer, under pressure.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and lin proved closure and tapping mechanism for barrels for beer or the like and which could also be employed on other containers for liquid content.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which facilitates the tapping of such barrels and eliminates the .loss of beer or the like during the tapping and also prevents injury to the operator due to pressure during the tapping and is, therefore, less dangerous to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type set forth which is relatively compact and easy to clean and, therefore, more sanitary than present conventional devices, and wherein the device may be easily and quickly employed for closing one barrel and tapping another with a minimum of difficulty and time.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of a device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the barrel closure apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a top or plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 on lines 3-3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, the apparatus comprises a barrel closure member designated generally at and a barrel tapping apparatus designated generally at 11.

The closure member 10 is adapted to be retained in operative position in an opening in the barrel 12 by means of an internally threaded nut 13, which has a flange 14 overlying an upper surface of the member 10 and which nut is in threaded relation with a threaded fitting 15 on the barrel 12.

The closure member 10 has the chamber 16 and bores or passages 17 and 18 in the bottom wall which provide communication between the interior of the barrel and chamber 16.

A valve member 19 has an extension passage 20 pressed into passage 17, and the valve member 19 contains a ball check valve 21 which is retained in operative closed position by valve spring 22 which, in turn, is retained in position by threaded plug 23 having an aperture or passage 24.

The passage 18 communicates with the interior of the barrel through pipe or fitting 25 which is threaded into the end of passage 18 and on which may be positioned a hose 26 or the like which extends downwardly into the barrel a desired amount.

The passage 18, pipe 25 and hose 26 are provided for the passage of beer or other liquid out of the barrel under 3,035,603 Patented May 22, 1962 pressure of a compressed gas which is adapted to enter the barrel through passages 17 and 20, and the pressure of the gas opens check valve 21 against the pressure of spring 22, and the gas then passes into the interior of the barrel through passage 24 in valve member 19.

Within chamber 16 is positioned the sealing member 26 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot 27 which threads into a lower portion or bottom wall of the member 10.

The sealing member 26 has openings 28 and 29 therethrough adapted to be aligned with passages 17 and 18 for tapping of the barrel and to be pivoted out of aligned relation to seal the barrel.

Sealing member 26 is composed of the relatively hard backing member 26a and the softer sealing or facing member 26b which have the openings 28 and 29 passing therethrough and which are retained in aligned relation by bolts 26c and 26d.

Adjacent the upper end of closure member 10 are provided the diametrically opposed slots 30 and 31 which communicate with bayonet slots 32 and 33 respectively for connecting tapping apparatus 11 to closure member 10 in operative relation.

It will be noted that slots 30 and 31 are not of the same size, thus preventing any error in the connection of the members.

Tapping apparatus 11 comprises a housing 34 having apertures 35 and 36 therethrough and which housing is provided with the handle 37.

At the lower end of tapping apparatus 11 are provided passage members 38 and 39, each of which is preferably a tubular member having a passageway or duct therethrough and which members are adapted to be positioned in respective openings 28 and 29, and the passage members 38 and 39 can be formed of tubular members pressed into the ends of apertures 35 and 36.

At the upper ends of apertures 35 and 36 there are provided fittings 40 and 41 respectively which are adapted to be connected at their outerends 42 and 43 respectively to an air hose and hose communicating with a faucet or tap for dispensing of the liquid.

Valves 44 and 45 are provided for allowing the closing off of the lines to prevent any return and loss of fluid during the changing of the tapping member from one barrel to another.

On the opposite sides of housing 34 are provided lugs 46 of such size as to be received by the slots 30 and 31 and to slide into helical slots 32 and 33 upon pivoting of apparatus 11 by turning handle 37.

In operation, each barrel is provided With a closure member 10, and a single tapping apparatus 11 is provided with its fittings 40 and 41 connected to a source of compressed gas and a liquid tap.

To tap a barrel, the body housing 34 is placed into chamber 16 of closure member 10 with passage members 38 and 39 extending into openings 28 and 29 respectively, and with lugs 46 entering their respective slots 30 and 31. It will be understood that for this purpose the relationship between lugs 46 and members 38 and 39 will be the same as that existing between openings 28 and 29 and their respective slots 30 and 31 when the openings 28 and 29 are out of alignment with passages 17 and 18.

With the lugs 46 in the respective slots 30 and 31, the tapping apparatus 11 is pivoted by turning handle 37 to simultaneously establish communication between openings 28 and 29 in sealing member 26 with their respective passages 17 and 18 and, therefore, establish communication between the gas and liquid lines with said passages 17 and 18.

It will be seen that by simply inserting the passage members 38 and 39 into the openings 28 and 29 and turning handle 37, that tapping apparatus 11 and closure member 16 will be locked in operative relation and communication will be simultaneously established through passages 17 and 18 and passages 35 and 36 respectively, and then by turning valves 44 and 45 the operator is ready to draw liquid from the barrel.

When it is desired to remove the tap from the barrel to tap another barrel, the turning of the handle 37 will simultaneously pivot member 26 to sealing position and align lugs 46 with slots 30 and 31, whereby the tapping apparatus 11 may be easily and quickly withdrawn for use in tapping another barrel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided new and improved means for obtaining all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a closure member, means for securing said closure member in an opening in a barrel, said closure member having a chamber and having a pair of passages extending through the bottom wall of said chamber, a sealing member in said chamber, said sealing member having a pair of openings therethrough, a pivot member extending through said sealing member and connected to the bottom wall of said chamber to pivotally mount said sealing member on said bottom wall, opposed bayonet slots in said closure member adjacent the upper end thereof, and a tapping apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be positioned in said chamber in said closure member, said tapping member having lugs adapted to fit in said opposed bayonet slots and said housing having a pair of apertures therethrough, said housing having fittings communicating with each of said apertures, said housing having depending passage members communicating witheach of said apertures and adapted to be positioned in the openings in said sealing member, the relationship between said'openings in said sealing member and said passages in the bottom wall of said chamber and said bayonet slots being such that when said tapping apparatus is turned to lock said apparatus through said lugs in said bayonet slots that said depending passage members will automatically pivot said sealing member from a closed position in which flow through said device is arrested by said sealing member to an open position where the openings in said sealing member are in communication with said passages in the bottom wall of said chamber.

2. In a device of the character described, a closure member, means for securing said closure member in an opening in a barrel, said closure member having a chamber and having a pair of passages extending through a bottom wall of said chamber, a composite sealing member in said chamber, said composite sealing member comprising a hard backing member and a softer facing member, said composite sealing member having a pair of openings therethrough, a pivot member extending through said composite sealing member and connected to the bottom wall of said chamber to pivotally mount said composite sealing member onsaid bottom wall, means connecting the backing member and said facing member together with the respective openings therethrough in aligned relation, opposed bayonet slots in said closure member adjacent the upper end thereof, and a tapping apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be positioned in said chamberin said closure member, said tapping member having lugs adapted to fit in said opposed bayonet slots and said housing having apair of apertures therethrough, said housing having fittings communicatingtwith said pair of apertures, said housing having depending passage members communieating with said pair of apertures and adapted to be positioned in the openings in said composite sealing member, a handle on said tapping member, the relationship between said openings in said composite sealing member and passages in the bottom wall of said chamber and said bayonet slots being such that when said tapping apparatus is turned to lock said apparatus through said lugs in said bayonet slots that said depending passage members will automatically pivot said composite sealing member from a closed position in which flow through said device is arrested by said composite sealing member to an open position where the openings in said sealing member are in communication with said pair of passages in the bottom wall of said chamber.

3. In a device of the character described, a tubular fitting having an externally threaded portion adapted to extend out of an opening in a barrel, said fitting having an external peripheral flange and an internal peripheral flange, a threaded nut having an internally threaded portion in threaded engagement with said threaded portion on said fitting, a closure member having an external peripheral flange positioned on said internal peripheral flange of said fitting, said threaded nut having a flange overlying the upper surface of said closure member to retain said member in operative position, said closure member having a chamber and having a pair of passages extending through a bottom wall of said chamber, a composite sealing member in said chamber, said composite sealing member comprising a hard backing member and a softer facing member, said composite sealing member having a pair of openings therethrough, a pivot member extending through said composite sealing member and connected to the bottom wall of said chamber to pivotally mount said composite sealing member on said bottom wall, means connecting the backing member and said softer facing mem ber together with the respective openings therethrough in aligned relation, opposed bayonet slots in said closure member adjacent the upper end thereof, and a tapping apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be positioned in said chamber intsaid closure member, said tapping member having lugs adapted to fit in said opposed bayonet slots and said housing having a pair of apertures therethrough, said housing having fittings communicating with each of said apertures, said housing having depending passage member communicating with each of said apertures and adapted to be positioned in the openings in said composite member, a handle on said tapping member, the relationship between said openings in said composite sealing member and passages in the bottom wall of said chamber and said bayonet slots being such that when said tapping apparatus is turned to lock said apparatus through said lugs in said bayonet slots that said depending passage members will automatically pivot said composite sealing member from a closed position in which flow through said device is arrested by said composite sealing member to an open position where the openings'in said composite sealing member are in communication with said passages in the bottom wall of said chamber; 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

